Now there is a whole new series. 

A magical, colorful, sensual world populated with the Fey, in all their many forms has been constructed by Ms. Hamilton.  The main character is another strong, independent female along the lines of Vampire slayer/Zombie animator, Anita Blake.  In some ways she is softer than Anita, but she, like the other Fey, have some very surprising habits and outlooks on life that the human Blake wouldn't understand.

Merry Gentry is a private investigator working with a specialty detective agency in Los Angeles.  Their motto is "Supernatural Problems, Magical Solutions" and Merry's co-workers bring a wide variety of talents to the agency, since all of the employees are supernatural beings.   However, Merry has managed, somehow, to keep a secret from these intuitive fellow workers.  Merry is really the Princess Meredith NicEssus.  For three years the Princess has been hiding from the Royal Courts of the Fey.  Strong forces within the Courts wish her dead and Meredith has managed to stay hidden from them all, including her Aunt, the Queen of Air and Darkness.  All though she must remain ever vigilant, taking care that the Queen's spies not get wind of where she is and what she is doing.   Even so simple a thing as speaking her name after dark, can bring down her enemies upon her.

Then a series of events is orchestrated which make it impossible for Merry to stay in hiding.  She is going to have to face her Aunt.  And return, most reluctantly, to the Court located in the heartland of the United States, at Cahokia, Illinois.  Perhaps she will not survive this visit, because several evil spells are cast in her direction.  These make it very clear that someone wants her to be permanently among the missing, preferably dead!  However, Princess Meredith has been growing into her powers since she ran away from the Court.  It's a good thing that she has built up her defenses, for it keeps her safe long enough to hear a startling revelation from her Aunt, the Queen.

Since this is the first book in Ms. Hamilton's new series, we are being introduced to a large number of new beings, including many new and varied life forms.  We also must learn a good deal of history on relationships, political alliances and some of the back story that explains how Meredith got to where she is.  Even with all this complex information to impart, the author manages to give us a stand alone story that, while whetting my appetite for the next installment, doesn't leave me screaming in frustration at too many loose ends.  For this I'm grateful, but please, Ms. Hamilton, hurry with the next book! 

These new fairy folk have my head spinning.  I loved the beautiful Princess Meredith and her fey world, set within a United States of Imagination.  So far, I think we are just finding out the bare minimum about Merry.  She has an alien outlook on life that doesn't even come close to the "human" world that we inhabit.  I can't wait for the second installment to learn more!

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